venerdì 6 settembre 2013

Laura Cunningham: "A State of Change"

"Our libraries and museums contain so many historical accounts by explorers, pioneers, native people, and naturalists; scholarly studies of fluctuating wildlife populations during the colonization period; ecological research into present California systems; archaeology and paleontology; old photographs of the state on the edge of pristine times; and magnificent paintings of early landscapes. Surely, I thought, a comprehensive re-creation can be attempted. Bolstered by this thought, since 1980 I have traveled all over the state, tracking the remaining vestiges and relictual pieces of semi-pristine landscapes in order to flesh out the narratives that I found. The clues to the past yet remain, if one is willing to patiently seek them in the field"